Ode to Shorebirds

This time of year, in many parts of the country, birders are out watching shorebirds. Identifying shorebirds can be more than a bit challenging. Some birders love it. Some...not so much! ;-) On the Birding Ohio Facebook group recently there's been a lot of discussion of shorebird identification, and my friend Susan Williams threw down a challenge. If we all loved shorebirds so much, why didn't we just write a poem about them? Several of us took her up on her challenge. I thought you might enjoy reading a few of these Odes to Shorebirds.

Shorebirds are travelers
From fields far flung
With lovely names like "plover" 
that roll right off the tongue
~kimberly kaufman


I seen this little bird, 
it wasn't out too deep, 
I double checked my field guide, 
and thought it was a peep. 
~jeff loughman


If a Dunlin doesn't know 
whether a Willet will not show 
how a Turnstone tosses stones 
while leaving Solitaries alone 
to watch the Plovers on the shore 
whose antics make the Stilts snore 
then the Knots do not care 
to follow the Curlews through the air 
and the Avocets are averse 
to hearing birders curse 
waking Godwits from their sleep 
with a cry of "It's a peep!" 
~katie Andersen 


I thought I heard a shorebird, 
Calling overhead. 
My mind said, "Sure, bird" 
And I fell back into bed.” 
~kathi hutton 


Comments

  1. Love these poems and the photos. :-)

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  2. Thanks, Linda! It makes me happy that you read our blog!

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  3. Love that ode. Can you please tell me what the name of the first bird at the top is.?? brown and white with the very long beak. I can not identify mine and it looks just like that one, thank you. Mine was spotted in Cape May, NJ

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